With his Marlies on a roll, coach Dallas Eakins is prepared to lose some of his star players should the NHL lockout end soon

Marlies coach Dallas Eakins knows that an end to the NHL lockout could mean his team would be raided of its best players.

By:Bob MitchellSports Reporter, Published on Thu Jan 03 2013

Life is good these days for Toronto Marlies coach Dallas Eakins.

His team is on a roll, winning 11 of 14 with just one regulation loss, and he’s been named the Western Conference head coach for the American Hockey League’s All-Star Classic on Jan. 28 in Providence, R.I.

But his club could face a dramatic shakeup in the next week if the NHL settles its labour war with its players. Perhaps six, maybe more, of his best players could be skating at the Maple Leafs training camp, with some making the big club.

Is he worried the heart of his Western Conference-leading club (20-9-1-2) could be gutted?

Not one bit.

“We have enough players here if we lose two or lose five. We’ve got enough players to be covered,” Eakins said on Thursday after practice at the Ricoh Coliseum following Wednesday night’s 6-0 romp over the Hamilton Bulldogs. “We’ve had to put a number of guys in the East Coast League, who we haven’t forgotten. We’ve got lots of players to fill holes if the need arises.”

Certainly forward Matt Frattin will head to the Leafs camp if there is one. So will defenceman Jake Gardiner once he recovers fully from concussion-like symptoms that have kept him out of the lineup since last month.

“After Frattin and Gardiner there are going to be some very difficult and long conversations (about who will attend Leafs camp),” said Eakins, who declined to name others with a shot.

Defencemen Korbinian Holzer would likely get an invite but he’s now sidelined with a broken toe, so it depends on how fast he heals. Blueliner Mike Kostka, who is tenth in league points with 31 (6 goals, 25 assists) is having a terrific season and deserves an invite based on his play.

Goalie Ben Scrivens will also challenge James Reimer for a spot — and possibly veteran Roberto Luongo should the long-rumoured trade with Vancouver happen.

Scrivens is starting to provide the same type of stellar netminding he gave the Marlies last season en route to winning the Western Conference title and reaching the Calder Cup finals. Eakins said there is no doubt Scrivens could have a shot when and if the Leafs open camp.

“In a shortened season, it’s not going to be hey, we lost game five or six, no big deal. If you lose game five or six in a shortened season it’s a huge deal.” Eakins said. “As soon as they drop that puck, Day One, you’re in a playoff race. And the most important position on your team is a goaltender.

“If you’re a team where your two NHL goalies have been sitting around and not playing anywhere. There is going to be an adjustment process. A week of training camp just isn’t enough. So the guys, who have been playing overseas or in the AHL are definitely going to be better prepared to accept the workload.

“I’ve seen it many times. Guys, who miss training camp or have a shortened camp, a lot of times there are injuries. They don’t get up to speed very quickly. It’s not just going to be the goaltenders. Leaguewide you may see rashes of injuries like you’ve never seen before.”

Despite Wednesday’s win, Eakins skated his team extremely hard during Thursday’s practice is preparation for Saturday afternoon’s game against the Rockford IceHogs at the Ricoh Coliseum. The Chicago affiliate is on a hot streak of its own with three wins in its last four games and is just two points out of first in the Midwest Division.

Win or lose, Eakins sticks to a rigorous preplanned practice routine.

“Yes, things are going well, but we want them to go better,” Eakins said, “We put them into the ground (Thursday) with a skate even though things have been excellent of late. Our players have bought into it. They expect it. They want it because they want to be better. No matter how well things are we can still be better.

“I don’t coach the team and have a bunch of knee-jerk reactions like: oh, we’ve won, so let’s be soft on them in practice or we’ve lost, so we need to kill them in practice. Our month-to-month is clearly laid out in advance whether we’re winning or losing.

“Our goal is to win every game. It’s not, hey let’s win six of our next 10 or three of our next five. We prepare and expect to win every game.”

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